And now
Just in time for the biggest snow fall in 30 years!
Monday, January 25, 2010
Before & After
This is what the house looked like when I bought it 10 years ago.
And now
Just in time for the biggest snow fall in 30 years!
And nowJust in time for the biggest snow fall in 30 years!
The Reveal
It's starting to get a little cool outside, but we're ready for any weather. After calling in a few favors, the shingles were installed by an official roofer. Now we could concentrate on the inside. We had to dis-connect the electrical, and go through a whole rig-a-marole to get it hooked back up, including multiple inspections, and a roundy-round with the power company about their installing a faulty wireless electric meter.
If you wait long enough, and buy when things are on sale you can save 20%. This is what we did. We bought cabinets, flooring, and appliances all on sale. Then installed them.
The last thing we did after installing the flooring and painting non-stop was finding a heater. I wanted a high efficient furnace, since I have one in my main house and love it. I contacted a few contractors and got estimates from $3500-$5000 not including duct work and utility rough-in. My family, being frugal, was going to find a work-around. Sure enough my Mom notified me of an unused furnace that had been exposed to the elements at a local home recycling store for $250. It was the minimum size for the house, and high efficient, and best yet still under warranty! I had the installation instructions left over from the last furnace, and being the same brand I installed it myself. My Dad had the air box made, and I had to order some missing parts. I got it all hooked up and the new gas line inspected....then tried to fire it up and .... nothing. The guy I got the parts from was a certified warranty specialist for that brand furnace. He came out with a replacement circuit board, and for a $40 after hour service call BAM! we have heat. Please note the new programmable thermostat below. (This was a huge victory to me by the way) Thanks MOM & DAD!
I used my old cabinets from my kitchen, painted them to match the bathroom cabinet. I had a little bit left over from the kitchen counter top and used it. My parents found some reconditioned laundry appliances at a local repair shop and I bought them early on and stored them at my work.
Now were done! I posted the above photos on Craigslist and in a week found a renter, ready to move in December first!
If you wait long enough, and buy when things are on sale you can save 20%. This is what we did. We bought cabinets, flooring, and appliances all on sale. Then installed them.
The last thing we did after installing the flooring and painting non-stop was finding a heater. I wanted a high efficient furnace, since I have one in my main house and love it. I contacted a few contractors and got estimates from $3500-$5000 not including duct work and utility rough-in. My family, being frugal, was going to find a work-around. Sure enough my Mom notified me of an unused furnace that had been exposed to the elements at a local home recycling store for $250. It was the minimum size for the house, and high efficient, and best yet still under warranty! I had the installation instructions left over from the last furnace, and being the same brand I installed it myself. My Dad had the air box made, and I had to order some missing parts. I got it all hooked up and the new gas line inspected....then tried to fire it up and .... nothing. The guy I got the parts from was a certified warranty specialist for that brand furnace. He came out with a replacement circuit board, and for a $40 after hour service call BAM! we have heat. Please note the new programmable thermostat below. (This was a huge victory to me by the way) Thanks MOM & DAD!
I used my old cabinets from my kitchen, painted them to match the bathroom cabinet. I had a little bit left over from the kitchen counter top and used it. My parents found some reconditioned laundry appliances at a local repair shop and I bought them early on and stored them at my work.
Now were done! I posted the above photos on Craigslist and in a week found a renter, ready to move in December first!
The Roof
Okay, we were mostly over the hump. The walls are painted, and it looks like we're only doing remodeling. The stuff that we couldn't get a permit for is done, and we can safely get a permit for the new roof ( and feel comfortable with an inspector snooping around). The ceiling isn't insulated or dry walled yet, but we figured it would be covered by the permit. The permit is secure, and the knee wall leveling the old roof line is done. Here we go...
Weapons of Mass Construction.
My fan club.
The new roof line.
Weapons of Mass Construction.
My fan club.
The new roof line.
Plumbing, Electrical, Siding & Drywall
It was suggested that there may be too much narrative with the description of the renovation, but I say "What the heck, it's a blog." and besides it'll serve as a personal journal. I'll enjoy looking back at it (assuming they will have blogs 30 years from now). Anyway, my ramblings may be the reason that I don't keep the blog current. So, I'll try to be brief. Besides, a picture is worth a thousand words.
Here is the new door configuration. We moved the door over to the right. We took the old foyer and made it a bedroom, and added a closet, taking away from the utility room a little.
We ripped off all the old siding, and windows. With the new interior framing we were ready for the new stuff. This was Sunday in the morning. We had to complete this side of the building and paint it before the inspector returns back to work on Monday.
New siding & windows, done by Sunday afternoon.
Electrical & plumbing is roughed in, and the insulation and drywall are going up.
Drywall takes forever, by the way.
Here is the new door configuration. We moved the door over to the right. We took the old foyer and made it a bedroom, and added a closet, taking away from the utility room a little.
We ripped off all the old siding, and windows. With the new interior framing we were ready for the new stuff. This was Sunday in the morning. We had to complete this side of the building and paint it before the inspector returns back to work on Monday.
New siding & windows, done by Sunday afternoon.
Electrical & plumbing is roughed in, and the insulation and drywall are going up.
Drywall takes forever, by the way. 
Monday, December 7, 2009
The Framing
The old framing inside the house was quite interesting. Since the northwestern corner of the house had sunken 6 inches, all the studs had twisted in that direction. There were maybe two straight studs in the whole house. 
We discovered areas that had been burnt in a fire, and another that had been hit by a truck. They were all solid and the original 2x4 size held together by 1x12 lath on the outside, so the newer studs fit right next to the old ones. 
We framed for all new windows and doors, this time making them square. We moved the front door, and added a door to the laundry room. 
My Dad framed the inside walls and doorways, and Kristi and I replaced windows and siding. I drilled holes in the studs, and Kristi pulled all the wiring. The plan at this point was to get the inside wired, and walls drywalled (but not the ceiling) including the insulation. 
We were going to have to pull a permit to build the new roof, so we wanted to be far enough along so that it appeared we were replacing the ceiling drywall and insulation under the roof permit.
We discovered areas that had been burnt in a fire, and another that had been hit by a truck. They were all solid and the original 2x4 size held together by 1x12 lath on the outside, so the newer studs fit right next to the old ones. 
We framed for all new windows and doors, this time making them square. We moved the front door, and added a door to the laundry room. 
My Dad framed the inside walls and doorways, and Kristi and I replaced windows and siding. I drilled holes in the studs, and Kristi pulled all the wiring. The plan at this point was to get the inside wired, and walls drywalled (but not the ceiling) including the insulation. 
We were going to have to pull a permit to build the new roof, so we wanted to be far enough along so that it appeared we were replacing the ceiling drywall and insulation under the roof permit.
The Foundation
Once we ran the new drain plumbing, and built the forms, we were ready to call in the first round of concrete. 
The company accross the street from my work just happend to be the only one that pumps concrete for hire. The rest of the concrete pumpers were contractors who not only don't answer the phone, they won't call you back unless you wanted to build a new apartment complex. I knew this from experience, from when I wanted to pour a new garage floor back in '03. That little project trained me for this go around, and I was prepared to do it myself again, rented tools in hand.
The concrete truck pulled up to the side of the house, and the pump on the back of another truck. They hooked up the hose, wetted down the mixture, and started pumping, with one of thier guys a the end of the hose, the other on the remote control controling the slurry from inside the house. 
We even had a bit extra to fix the jacuzzi pad, and the side walk where I had to dig under the front house. We now had a new stem wall, completely encasing the old railroad tie foundation as well as the old crooked fir studs. This house would no longer float away like Noah's ark in high water. It was only phase one, though, no time to relax or celebrate. 
A couple of days went by, and we were able to remove the forms. We were still left with a two foot deep hole in the middle to fill. You know you are screwed when the guys at the equipment rental store know your name. This time we rented a bobcat. We ordered some cheap cinder sand to fill the hole. The plan was to take the huge mound of cinder sand in the street, and dump it into a make-shift chute made from the old foundation forms, right through the window. 
We then used a compactor to compact the sand to a depth of about 5". It was back to the rental store for a concrete drill to bore holes for re-bar, so the new pad would be affixed to the stem wall. We threw down some reinforcing mesh , and ordered the last round of concrete. This time they just poured the slump through the window, and we finished it off level with the top of the stemwall. We finally had a solid level surface to walk on. The first time in 40 years I'll bet. We used to joke when Bert lived there, that the only time the floor felt level was when you were drunk. We put the windows back in and hung some sheets up for curtains, and let it cure, never to be seen by any city official. So far all the work performed was done on the week-end and after work. 
We were so careful to cover our tracks, because at this point we couldn't risk a 'stop work notice.' We would be sunk, the City would never grant us permission to finish, and we might have had to stop completely and raze the entire house. It was quite nerve-wracking especially because there was a new apartment complex being built at the top of the hill, and the inspector was always driving by. Kristi knew a fellow teacher that was doing some renovations to thier house a few blocks away. Just about that time, they recieved a 'stop work notice.' The inspector inspecting the business being built next door saw that they were installing a new door on the side of thier house and blew the whistle on them. They got off having only to pay for a $50 permit, though they had already completed a host of other renovations. Once they saw work being performed outside the house they called it quits on them. I counted my lucky stars it was them and not me.
The company accross the street from my work just happend to be the only one that pumps concrete for hire. The rest of the concrete pumpers were contractors who not only don't answer the phone, they won't call you back unless you wanted to build a new apartment complex. I knew this from experience, from when I wanted to pour a new garage floor back in '03. That little project trained me for this go around, and I was prepared to do it myself again, rented tools in hand.
The concrete truck pulled up to the side of the house, and the pump on the back of another truck. They hooked up the hose, wetted down the mixture, and started pumping, with one of thier guys a the end of the hose, the other on the remote control controling the slurry from inside the house. 
We even had a bit extra to fix the jacuzzi pad, and the side walk where I had to dig under the front house. We now had a new stem wall, completely encasing the old railroad tie foundation as well as the old crooked fir studs. This house would no longer float away like Noah's ark in high water. It was only phase one, though, no time to relax or celebrate. 
A couple of days went by, and we were able to remove the forms. We were still left with a two foot deep hole in the middle to fill. You know you are screwed when the guys at the equipment rental store know your name. This time we rented a bobcat. We ordered some cheap cinder sand to fill the hole. The plan was to take the huge mound of cinder sand in the street, and dump it into a make-shift chute made from the old foundation forms, right through the window. 
We then used a compactor to compact the sand to a depth of about 5". It was back to the rental store for a concrete drill to bore holes for re-bar, so the new pad would be affixed to the stem wall. We threw down some reinforcing mesh , and ordered the last round of concrete. This time they just poured the slump through the window, and we finished it off level with the top of the stemwall. We finally had a solid level surface to walk on. The first time in 40 years I'll bet. We used to joke when Bert lived there, that the only time the floor felt level was when you were drunk. We put the windows back in and hung some sheets up for curtains, and let it cure, never to be seen by any city official. So far all the work performed was done on the week-end and after work. 
We were so careful to cover our tracks, because at this point we couldn't risk a 'stop work notice.' We would be sunk, the City would never grant us permission to finish, and we might have had to stop completely and raze the entire house. It was quite nerve-wracking especially because there was a new apartment complex being built at the top of the hill, and the inspector was always driving by. Kristi knew a fellow teacher that was doing some renovations to thier house a few blocks away. Just about that time, they recieved a 'stop work notice.' The inspector inspecting the business being built next door saw that they were installing a new door on the side of thier house and blew the whistle on them. They got off having only to pay for a $50 permit, though they had already completed a host of other renovations. Once they saw work being performed outside the house they called it quits on them. I counted my lucky stars it was them and not me.
The Demolition
The only thing left to do was grin and bear it, and take our aggressions out on the house. 
We tore out the walls, we tore out the ceiling, we tore out the floors. We shoveled the pulp insulation, we cut the water pipes, and we filled the dumpster, and again and again.
Everything was scrapped, the electrical, the fixtures, the toilet, everything but the kitchen sink. That was still okay. We ripped off the siding, we tossed all the windows, and threw away the door. (This is starting to sound like a Dr Seuss Book) As I stood on the dirt floor looking at an empty shell, I began to realize that the house would have to be completely rebuilt from the inside out. Tearing it down and rebuilding would have been much easier. Then we dug. 
We dug around the railroad ties, and under them. We dug for days around the perimeter of the house to create an interior footing for a foundation. We then laid down re-bar at the base of the footing, getting ready for the forms.
We tore out the walls, we tore out the ceiling, we tore out the floors. We shoveled the pulp insulation, we cut the water pipes, and we filled the dumpster, and again and again.
Everything was scrapped, the electrical, the fixtures, the toilet, everything but the kitchen sink. That was still okay. We ripped off the siding, we tossed all the windows, and threw away the door. (This is starting to sound like a Dr Seuss Book) As I stood on the dirt floor looking at an empty shell, I began to realize that the house would have to be completely rebuilt from the inside out. Tearing it down and rebuilding would have been much easier. Then we dug. 
We dug around the railroad ties, and under them. We dug for days around the perimeter of the house to create an interior footing for a foundation. We then laid down re-bar at the base of the footing, getting ready for the forms.
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